Outdoor barbecuing is a popular method of cooking and preparing various foods such as meats, poultry, fish and vegetables. This popularity is largely due to the unique flavor imparted to the food by the barbecuing process, which is often referred to as “barbecue”, “smoke” or “charcoal” flavor, and also due to the fact that barbecuing is a relatively simple way of preparing such food.
Outdoor barbecuing is normally dependent on the weather and usually limited to the warmer months of the year. In addition, most people living in condominiums or apartments are prohibited from barbecuing on their balconies. Conventional barbecues are not intended for indoor use due to the heavy smoke and gaseous combustion by-products that are given off.
Many indoor barbecues have been developed in an attempt to provide the smell, taste and look of barbecue food without substantial production of heavy smoke and gaseous combustion by-products. For example, electric indoor barbecues provide one method of safely barbecuing indoors. Many of these designs include electric hotplates with grill-like surfaces for conveying a grill-like look to the food. Other electric indoor barbecues include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4.589,333 to Murphy and U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,517 to Huff and Bales. These barbecues, however, do not impart the traditional outdoor barbecue flavor to food.
Most indoor barbecues substitute lava rock or other suitable heat retentive material for charcoal briquettes or combustible material. The lava rock, heated from below either by an electric or a gas burner, cooks the food in much the same manner as burning charcoal briquettes, but without the production of noxious fumes and ash residue. These barbecues however, also fail to impart the traditional barbecue flavor to food.
Much of the heavy smoke and gaseous combustion by-products produced during barbecuing is result of fat dripping from the food onto the hot briquettes. Since the amount of fat drippings differs among various foods, the amount of smoke emanating from the heating elements is often difficult to control and can quickly spoil the charm of indoor barbecuing. To address this particular disadvantage, filtration elements have been incorporated into smoke exhaust systems mounted atop a barbecue hood. Such exhaust elements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,801 to Holland. U.S. Pat. No 4,827,903 to Kim discloses a table mounted cooker which includes a filter which removes contaminants from the smoke exhaust as the smoke exhaust is drawn through a chimney or ventilation system. These types of barbecues are somewhat complicated and may not be suitable for ordinary indoor use.
It is apparent, therefore, that there is a need for an indoor barbecue that imparts a barbecue flavor to food and, at the same time, obviates or mitigates at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.